Greetings - New Voice.club VIP Event - Writing Collab - “Message in a Bottle” - Now Open!
Click Here to start collaborating:
You can also leave questions, comments or feedback for the Voice Team here on this topic thread.
@CarrieOLeary - Thanks for kicking off this collab, I always enjoy your writing, and hope to see new stories from you soon! I still remember that amazing story you wrote a year or two ago - “Persephone’s Gift” - on which you also had a great voice recording 
@DeborahGoulding - I really like your snippet on this collab: “In the horizon, a shadow like no other appeared. Lizzie became unhinged.”
So I followed your direction, but also took the story in a slightly sinister direction - haha
@Voice.club-VIP - I hope everyone is enjoying these new writing collabs as much as I am!
I really like these new collabs, and I think they are creatively cool. A simple short snippet is all that is required to participate. This allows me to grab a cup of coffee, take a brief break from work, then enjoy a quick 15 minutes of creative writing!
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Thank you Chris, this is not in my wheelhouse to add ‘a snippet’ to an ongoing story. With that being said, I’m up for the challenge! I have a question though. If I choose to take the ongoing conversation into a different direction, is this allowed?
Yes, Deborah, the whole new collab “snippet” idea is a bit of a challenge for me as well, but a lot of fun. I’m not sure about your question regarding taking the conversation in a different direction. I tend to look at all the snippets and not take the story too far from what the other writers have implied. That being said, I will ask the SoftArt Team to reply on this topic.
Ok, that makes sense, otherwise the story could be all over the place and would make one’s head spin.
Thank you for your reply! I tend to overthink at times!
@Voice.club-VIP - Fiction - Message in a Bottle - a Voice Club collaboration
Final Version - [2024.09.01]
[This story was written by @CarrieOLeary , @LindaRock , @JulieRHarris , @Chris , @Regina , @MelissaTaggart , @MargaridaBrei , @Lotchie, @SusanGiles, @DeborahGoulding ]
https://Voice.club - It had bobbed in the ocean waves for years, sucked along by the current until it washed up on the golden sands. On her morning walk, Lizzie saw it half-buried in the warm sand. The corked bottle seemed to glow in the early light, as if its contents called to her. Her curiosity aroused, she carefully dislodged the bottle, brushing away the sand, completely unaware of the secrets it held.
Lizzie glanced around, noting that other than herself, the beach was completely deserted. She sank cross-legged to the sand, fingers poised to ease out the cork. As she began wriggling the cork, two things happened simultaneously. Lizzie’s eyes caught a glimpse of sparkle within the bottle and her ears heard the warning cry of a songbird.
She suddenly trembled with foreboding. "“Throw it back!” her instincts cautioned. But she was already tilting the blue-tinged glass, mesmerized by flashing silver and a myriad of colors. A ring?
In the horizon, a shadow like no other appeared. Lizzie became unhinged. As she hypnotically removed the cork, a Jinn materialized and roared, “I will grant you three wishes!” Lizzie asked, “What do you want in return?” The Jinn replied, “Your soul…”
Lizzie laughed at herself. Imagining a Jinn had eased her fears, postponed the moment of discovery. But now it was time. She carefully unfurled the parchment, and began to read.
The ancient ink revealed itself; the words seemed to shift, a message that chilled her to the bone: “Beware the sea, for it carries more than just the waves.”
With foreboding, she looked out to sea. To her horror the shadow had been joined by many more. Ghostly apparitions, not of this world. Time to make her wish.
Lizzie suddenly remembered that most stories with three wishes ended badly. “No! I won’t be part of this!” She picked up the bottle and hurled it back into the water.
Lizzie watched the bottle splash down; the shadows began to dissipate.
Soon, on a distant island, a young girl saw a corked bottle half-buried in the warm sand.
Congratulations to @CarrieOLeary , @LindaRock , @JulieRHarris , @Chris , @Regina , @MelissaTaggart , @MargaridaBrei , @Lotchie, @SusanGiles, @DeborahGoulding
Good job, everyone! When we got down to the last few entries, I wondered how in the world any of us could come up with a satisfying ending. One of the hardest things to do in a collaboration, as well as a complete story, is have an ending that wraps up all the pieces and gives the reader a sense of completion.
You did it, @SusanGiles - excellent!
Congratulations to @CarrieOLeary @LindaRock @JulieRHarris @Chris @Regina @MelissaTaggart @MargaridaBrei @SusanGiles @DeborahGoulding
Well done everyone!
P.S. - I miss you all. After my breast surgery last August 30, 2024, I realized that health is really our wealth. Keep a stress-free life and enjoy every moment.
We missed you too Lotchie. Glad to have you back. Hope you are healing well from your surgery!
Hi Lotchie, I hope too that you are healing well. You are so right, good health is worth so much. Good to have you back with us.